Engineering Week Highlights Talent Today and Tomorrow

Today marks the beginning of Engineers Week, designated by a coalition of more than 75 engineering, professional and technical societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies.

Founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, the purpose of Engineers Week, or EWeek, is to raise public understanding and appreciation of engineers’ contributions to society, to generate interest in engineering and technology careers among young students and to promote pre-college literacy in math and science.

With 21,120 engineers and more than 5,500 engineering technicians employed in Orange County in 2010, according to the California Employment Development Department, such occupations play a vital role in the local economy.

EWeek events A variety of programs have been developed by the National Engineers Week Foundation to help realize the objectives of EWeek.

EWeek events include the Future City competition, which challenges an estimated 35,000 middle-school students to design cities that might exist in the future. First-place regional teams win a trip to Washington for the national finals, held annually during E Week.

This year’s Future City essay topic was “Rethink Runoff,” for which students were required to research and write essays describing how they would manage storm-water runoff in their future cities.

New Faces of Engineering is a nine-year-old program that honors some of the nation’s most promising young engineering professionals. The program also recognizes selected college engineering students.

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, taking place Thursday, offers thousands of women engineers throughout the country the chance to directly mentor more than one million girls and young women from kindergarten through 12-grade. While women accounted for about 47 percent of the nation’s workforce in 2010, they only made up an estimated 13 percent of engineering and architectural occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ongoing related programs include the Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering, which includes Internet chats, telephone conversations and Web casts, and the foundation’s Engineer Your Life campaign, targeting high-school girls, teachers, and counselors.

Other ongoing programs by the foundation include DiscoverE classroom visits; the Discover Engineering, MyDiscoverE and Sightseers Guide to Engineering Web sites; resource kits complementing the PBS television program “Cyberchase”; the “Design Squad Nation” television show; and a variety of support materials offered by the foundation, such as classroom activities, “how-to” instructions and promotional materials.

More information about the above programs is available at eweek.org.

Discovery Science Center highlights In recognition of EWeek, the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana will be offering engineering related activities through Saturday, including such interactive exhibits and learning stations as block-tower and catenary-arch building, as well as the engineering behind gears and how they are used in everyday life.

Tomorrow, attendees will learn how to design and test hoop gliders in a hands-on activity.

Saturday, the center will host an Egg Drop Competition. Prospective competitors must create their own entries in advance and bring them to the center for the competition. Entries will be judged and winners in each age group will be selected based on the lightest weight, the fewest number of parts, and the most accurate landing on the Drop Zone target. Prizes for the best Egg Drop device include annual memberships and gift cards to the center’s Launch Pad Science Store.

For more information, visit http://www.discoverycube.org/exhibits/event/national-engineers-week-2013/

Engineering in Orange County EWeek’s goal of introducing young people to the engineering field is especially relevant to Orange County. While total employment is expected to increase by 13.3 percent in Orange County from 2010 through 2020, employment of engineers is expected to increase by 14.2 percent. Additionally, many engineering jobs are expected to open up over the decade as baby boomers retire, making the training and recruitment of new engineers a particularly urgent priority.

Yet, producing enough engineers to fill the expected vacancies could be a challenge. According to the Orange County Workforce Indicators 2012/2013 report by the Orange County Workforce Investment Board and the Orange County Business Council, the number of STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering) degrees being granted in the county is increasing steadily, but the rate of increase continues to be outpaced by the growth in demand for STEM-related workers by Orange County employers.

Following a slight drop in 2008, the number of STEM-related undergraduate degrees awarded by Orange County schools increased by 8.5 percent in 2009 and by 7.0 percent in 2010.

From 2004 through 2010, the number of engineering bachelor's degrees awarded in the county increased by 29 percent, while the number of engineering graduate degrees increased by 57.8 percent.

A 2010 report by the OCWIB and OCBC found that too few students in the county are pursuing and obtaining the necessary education to prepare them for STEM-related careers. According to the report, fewer than 20 percent of high-school students were enrolled in upper-level math and science courses, and enrollment in Advanced Placement was between 1 percent and 6 percent. The percentage of students achieving “advanced” or “proficient” in upper-level math was 20 percent for algebra and 61 percent for advanced math in the 2008-2009 school year.

“While these percentages generally exceed state averages and are increasing, for a high-tech economy, these numbers are not sufficient,” the report stated.

Improving these numbers should help local students to secure high-growth, high-paying jobs in the future and help Orange County remain an attractive location for high-tech firms, the report suggested.

Bill Quinnan is a freelance writer who lives in Orange County. Readers can send e-mail to him at bquinnan@sbcglobal.net. Bill cannot provide job leads.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.